


The guardian of the Pharoah

by Pengolene



Series: The Guardian of the Pharoah [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Child Abandonment, Child Abuse, Duel Monsters, Gen, Magical Tattoos, Multi, Origin Story, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28960689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pengolene/pseuds/Pengolene
Summary: A young girl is born into the world, her mother dead and her father leaving her at the hospital. Growing up in a rundown orphanage for 10 years being being adopted by a loving family.Little did she know that her life was going to be a wild adventure.Suffering from confusing dark nightmares and strange things start happening when she turns 17, she runs away to discover the meaning of it all, only to return a year later with her arms covered in starts monster tattoos that hold the secrets of who she is.But can she uncover the meaning of it all? Who was she and more important what was she? And what does this all have to do with the spirit living within Yugi's puzzle?
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Original Female Character(s), Mutou Yuugi & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Guardian of the Pharoah [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127420
Kudos: 1





	1. A legend begins...

Nearly 5 thousand years ago, there lived a great pharaoh who had saved the kingdom of Egypt from destruction by sealing away the monsters that terrorised the people in giant stone tablets, which could later be controlled by masters of magic and the high priests that protected the Pharaoh...

Only a few knew that the monsters they had sealed away were real, existing in another plain of reality. An entire world that was filled with mystical and magical creatures. Magicians, warriors, monsters, creatures of light and those of dark, creatures that lived in the seas and others that remained on land and flew through the skies. A place where each of these creatures lived in harmony with one another and lived a joyous life.

Amongst these creatures were the 3 goddesses who protected the lands and made sure that no harm would come to those whom they looked after. Sapphrina.

The goddess of the sky who had the power of light, healing and energy, who was pure of heart and watched over the creatures of land and sky. She could do no wrong however she was naïve and ignorant. But still powerful none the less. Hair was the colour of bright gold and her eyes the colour of an old oak tree and she had the wings of an angel to match her perfect form. She brought life, hope and joy into the world, unlike her twin sister...Rozu.

The goddess of the undead and darkness. She was the complete opposite of her sister. She was cold and harsh and controlled the power that flowed through that of each dark creature that lived within the realm. However, she still had a good heart as she never wanted to cause harm or hurt to others. She only ever appeared to be evil because of how others saw her due to her abilities and appearance. Her hair was blood red and her eyes the same. Her skin was a caramel brown and hot to the touch and had a pair of black angel wings. Even though the two sisters were complete opposite to each other, they cared deeply for another and never tried to fight and kept peace between them.

And now we get to The Silent Siren...the goddess of the seas. Able to control the oceans and the weather, she was a powerful woman. With one wave of her hand she could sink an entire island and with just a thought she could cause a typhoon that brought down destruction upon the lands. However as powerful as she was, she never used her abilities to cause harm or damage to anything or anyone. She was kind and loving and peaceful and of course beautiful. Her skin was a pale shade of blue, her hair was white like the sea foam of the waves that crashed into the shores, and her eyes were like sapphires and her smile a perfect curved shape. She had two forms; one was with legs, the other with a tail. However she never spoke. Never once had she ever uttered a word to anyone. Some say she's been a mute since she was born, having lost her mother and father at a tender age, letting her grow up alone and the feeling of being unwanted. But throughout the years, she was able to teach herself how to survive and also unlocked her ultimate ability...her song. It was a powerful ability, when she would sing her soft gentle song, if could calm any being and win over the heart of any creature...but...with one change of tone, she could below out a loud, glass shattering screech that could deafen and destroy anything in the path of the wide spread sound waves. And because of this, many respected her but also feared her...however she remained peaceful and never used her feared powers on anyone...

After centuries of living in peace, a dreadful day came when everything would change forever. A volcano had erupted in the world of man, stones that contained a great evil spread over one of earth's greatest cities, Atlantis. The stones corrupted the people living and turning them into monsters and terrible beasts. Their king, Darts was also corrupted by those stones. Wanting to cleanse the earth, a summoned a great beast, a leviathan like no other. It devoured souls from both the human realm and the realm of monsters. To save both realms, the 3 goddesses, along with 3 mighty dragons and many other monsters, a battle was started to defeat the leviathan.

As the battle raged on, many monsters fell to the beasts power. In a last attempt to save everyone, the Siren used her most powerful ability, sending a sonic wave at the creature, knocking it out of the sky and sending it back to the realm of humans. She followed after it to insure it was destroyed but in turn that meant she could never return to her home.

Once in the human realm, the Siren battled the leviathan in the depths of the ocean.already weakened from her previous attacked, she did the only thing she could and sang a lullaby, causing the beast to fall into a deep slumber which would last for a thousand years. Finally peace reigned over both worlds again but at a grave price. 

For 5 thousand years the other goddesses tried everything they could to return the lost Siren to her home but there was still no prevail. In a final attempt to reach her, Sapphrina and Rozu sacrificed their lives and sent their souls to earth, entrapping themselves in themselves in the bodies of two unborn children...one would be born of pure darkness and the other would be a born purely innocent and filled with light.

In the meantime...the siren had grown tired and wearily from searching and fell into a deep, empty sleep, causing her to float into the Mediterranean sea and continue into the Nile river, soon washing up on the banks of Egypt where she would be discovered by Pharaoh Aknamkanon's servants. After bringing her to the palace, the Pharaoh had her locked away in the dungeon. Upon awaking from her slumber many days later, she found herself dying from dehydration from being without water for so long and chained to a wall in a prison cell. Her tail reverted to legs as she didn't have the strength to remain in that state. Many more days passed and she became weaker and weaker, until one day the Pharaoh came to see the dying siren. But not to save her...with him he had a rare jewel that hung on a necklace made of gold and was created to entrap any one of the 3 goddess and use them as guardians for anything the holder of the jewel wanted. As the Pharaoh opened the cell door, he made his way towards the nearly dried up girl and placed the jewel around her neck. The precious gem began to glow, slowly sucking in the sirens soul, with no voice to call out for help and unable to cry out in pain as little for little her flesh was ripped from her bones and being sucked in to the jewel, her last tear escaped her dried eyes as the last bits of her disappeared into the jewel. Now standing in the empty cell, the Pharaoh picked up the necklace, the king muttered softly as he left the dungeon..."I am sorry for what I did to you...but it needed to be done...in order to protect my children from the danger that awaits them in the near future..."

As the king reached his chambers, he placed the necklace inside a golden box that would one day be given to his daughter...he had two wives, each one pregnant with a child...one would give birth to a son and the other to daughter...

He walked onto the balcony and gazed up at the full moon, speaking to himself, "One day you will be reborn and you will live to protect my family goddess of the sea...no matter how many years it takes for my own children to be reborn..."

...and it would be many years for the Silent Siren to once again walk amongst those of the living...


	2. Rebirth of an abandoned child...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A life is born and a friendship is formed...

Many have lived their lives with the obvious delusion that life is a spectacular and mesmerising thing to wonder through. Brought into this world as a small, fragile, yet beautiful infant who has a warm hearted, loving and beyond beautiful mother. Whose eyes are bejewelled with a light that scare away any evil in your precious little heart. And don't forget her humble smile, her lips curved into a perfect crescent moon that gives passage to softly spoken words such as 'I love you' in a voice that's calm and subtle, like the gentle breeze of an Autumn morning. And beside her is a father. A powerful yet meek man whose firm yet welcoming grip brought you up over the many years, a man who guided you over the unpredictable, treacherous and hard road of life. Always there to catch you when you stumble and break down. His unforgettable words, spoken in a humble tone but still coated in love...if only that were true for me...

I had the misfortune of being brought into the cruel, withering and cold piece of hell screaming, alone and afraid. The woman, who sadly carried me in her doomed body for 9 long months, was released from her mortal existence mere moments before I was pulled out of the warm, protective womb where I was created, into the hell that is called the world. The man, who was supposedly married to the now empty and lifeless woman, a man whom I was supposed to call father, a coward who left behind a small, vulnerable baby girl...he left her lying in the incubator...alone...nameless...unwanted...afraid...a nothing with no one to hold her as her terrified and glass shattering broken screams and cries echoed throughout the chilling white halls of the hospital that stood short amongst the square giants that formed the brightly lit city. Its crowded streets and busy roads, the load hooting of taxi's, the busy and singled minded people shouting their lungs out, dulled out the heart broken cries of the abandoned and neglected little girl...the broken cries of a confused and trembling little me...

...learning at only an hour old...

...what loneliness and brokenness really was...

The doctors said I was born a tiny baby, small enough to fit into a handbag like those barking rats the celebrities prance around with. I was born with skin whiter than the first snowflake of winter and smoother than a porcelain doll. Dark wavy curls covered my scalp, each gentle curl facing a different direction like a bunch of waddling penguins. Born with a small mouth, it was hard to believe that something so tiny could produce such an ear bursting sound. And the eyes...the kind, small and skinny nurse who had taken care of me, said she had never seen such eyes before...a deep blue shade that could have been mistaken for sapphires. These two orbs of beauty that held such innocence and purity...also held so much hurt and agony at such a tender age...already knowing that the world was a cruel place...that the spiked claws of darkness and despair would always try to snuff out the light of happiness and goodness...dragging away everything you have...until you are completely alone...like me...

I was left at an orphanage a week after I was born and given the name Lillian. The place was cold like everything else on this retched planet. The walls were covered in scarlet red wallpaper that was already peeling from years of clinging to the hollow wooden walls. The floors were puzzled over by brown and grey tiles, several being missing or cracked or shattered. The ceiling had more mould and stains on it than an ancient tree in the rain forest. The smell was terrible due to the other orphans never cleaning properly and the smell of rotten eggs and urine was always around us. We were stuffed into any room that had even a crumb of space, sleeping on rotten old mattresses that were donated who knows when, some not even fitting on the rusted metal bed frames that cradled them...but that's not even the worst part...

The worst part was the other kids I had to stay with. I don't think some of them had a single good bone in their bodies. The oldest kid was always the one in charge. And that was Markiato. He was 13, never was considered for adoption, not once because of what a jerk he was to everyone. He had filthy blond hair that I don't think was ever washed. He carried around an old baseball bat that he used to install fear in everyone. He was tanned or should I rather say he was sun burned with dark brown eyes that dug out your soul and filled you with terror whenever he glared at you. Not to mention he was basically a giant, tallest kid in the orphanage and leader of the "B.O.B", that stood for "Bad Orphan Boys". Creative, I know. They were a group of boys that followed him around like he was a fricking king. They did whatever he said and beat up anyone they didn't like. I guess they must have really hated me, because ever since I got there, I had been their punching bag. And you would have thought that the caretakers of the orphanage would have done something about this. Maybe they could have stopped the older kids from beating the crap out of us but no. Whenever someone went to go complain about getting hurt or their stuff being taken away, the care takers would just shove them away and told them to go play or that it was just part of growing up. Yeah, it’s part of growing up to have someone hit you in the stomach with a bat and then beat you as you fall to the ground...

...the only time we were somewhat safe was when they sent us to school...

...but even that place had its list of problems and horrors...

...if it wasn't the kids at the orphanage beating us up...

...it would be the kids at school...

But there was a time when my life at that hell hole was actually good. I was 9 years old when I first really experienced happiness. The day was like any other day, winter was coming to an end, the snow had started to melt some time ago and the weather was still extremely cold. The paper thin blankets that had more holes than Swiss cheese and smelled worse than a public bathroom at a train station was the only source of warmth we got.  
I was sitting on the bench by the window between two bare and leafless bushes, starring down at the dead and dusty ground, hugging my faded lavender sweater tightly to keep warm. It's not that I ever minded the cold, but it helped me feel less lonely somehow. The sound of the creaking gate that stood at the front of the orphanage was heard and the other kids rushed towards it. This could only mean one of two things...new arrivals had come or someone was coming to adopt. It wasn't odd that we got new kids arriving a few times a week; it was the fact that there were so little of us leaving this horrible place. I guessed nobody really wanted kids these days. Sighing, I got up from my seat and headed to the gate with the others to see what was going on. I had already given up hope of getting adopted. Too many times had families come looking for a child and they would just look me over. Maybe there was something wrong with me...I really was unwanted...even around the orphanage everyone called me "Lonely Lilly"...cause nobody wanted to come near me and I was always seen sitting by myself...

As I reached the gate, the other kids had started heading back to the playground already, clearly disappointed. I guess that meant that no one was here to adopt. I saw the two boys that had arrived. The tall one had brown chestnut hair and sweet blue eyes. He wore a yellow button-up shirt with a blue pullover, plain black jeans and a pair of white sneakers. The smaller boy that stood beside him had raven black long messy hair and soft grey eyes. He wore a green button-up shirt, grey shorts and a pair of purple trainers with knee high socks. They didn't talk to anyone as one of the caretakers led them into the building to show them around and assign them a room. I headed back to the lonely little bench by the window, thinking of the two boys that had arrived. They were most likely brothers considering they both arrived at together and looked, well a little alike I guess. Were they abandoned like me or did their parents pass away? Or did their parents do something bad and now they have to stay here? Why did I even care? Not like it really mattered to me what the story was with each kid that came and went from this place. Most of the time, the others left me alone and that was just fine with me. I didn't need anyone and didn't want anyone...I was fine with being alone...because that's all I would ever be.

A few hours passed and I was still sitting in my usually place when Markiato and his gang of mindless idiots came to pester me. Markiato stood in front of the others, holding that stupid bat under his right arm as he sneered down at me, making me shudder. 

"Well, well...if it isn't little lonely Lilly." 

He said with a chuckle, I hugged myself defensively, not wanting to aggravate him in case he tried to smash my skull in with his wooded beating stick. 

"Wh-what do you want Markiato?" 

I stuttered as I stared down at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with the mammoth in front of me. 

"Just wanted to spend a little time with my favourite little loser..." 

He kept grinning as he reached out to lift my chin, making me look right into those horrible eyes. I quickly hit his hand away and got up keeping my gaze away from the rest of the boys. 

"Just go away Markiato..." 

I spoke softly as I turned to quickly leave but found myself surrounded by the rest of his menacing gang. Looking around as fear started to build inside me as I could find no way out of the circle of boys surrounding me. Each one having a nasty smile on their unwashed faces. Markiato slowly approached me again, grabbing hold of my jersey collar and pulled me towards him. The smell of onion rings and fish leaked from his mouth as he smirked at me, his yellow teeth fitting precisely in the frame of his lips. Instantly I began to feel sick. 

"Now why would I go away? We're just having some fun right? Besides you seemed so lonely sitting here all by yourself. Heh heh heh." 

Snickering as he spoke, I tried to pull free from his iron grip but it was no use. He saw me struggle and the impending fear that was growing within me as I began to tremble. Shoving me hard onto the cold hard ground and dirtying my jersey in the process. My eyes filled with tears of pain and fear as I lifted myself up with my arms, shaking as I stared at the ground watching the shadows of the boys around me. Twirling the bat in his hand, I could see him looking around at the other boys...

"You know fellas...maybe we should put her out of her misery? Send her back to where she came from..." 

He slowly circled me, still twirling the bat mockingly before reaching down, his empty crusty hand grabbing my hair and pulling me up. Letting out a cry of pain, I grabbed his wrist, trying to ease the sudden burst of pain on my scalp. 

"Pl-please st-stop!" 

I yelled at him before he threw me to the ground again, landing face first in the dirt and scrapping my cheek. I weakly tried to hold myself up again, my hair falling over my face as a tear ran down my cheek, listening to the other kids laughing and mock me...I wanted to die right there and then...I just couldn't take it anymore...I wanted it all to stop...I wanted it all to just...go...away...

Just as Markiato raised the bat over his head to strike me, I knew nobody would come help me...nobody cared about me...I closed my eyes...waiting for the pain to come...when...

..."Leave her alone!"...

I heard someone calling from a distance followed by the sound of someone running towards us. Slowly I opened my eyes, glancing up ever so slightly at who was coming. And I was astounded to see that the boy who had arrived a few hours ago, sprinting towards me with his brother not far behind him. Markiato and the other boys turned towards him as he stopped just a few feet in front of the circle of boys. The blond beast started chuckling, 

"Well, well, what do we have here? Prince charming coming to save his pathetic excuse of a princess?" 

The boys began to laugh as I just looked back down at the ground. "I said leave her alone. Go back to playing king of the idiots you freak."

The yellow shirted boy said as he took another step forward, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The others went silent, their expressions becoming shocked. What was he doing? Did he want to get himself killed? Markiato tightened the grip on his bat. 

"What did you just call me runt?" he growled through his teeth.

The kid didn't even flinch or look scared of the towering bully in front of him. 

"I called you a big fat freak..." 

…and with that said, he slammed his fist into Markiato's stomach, causing the taller boy to fall over like an old oak tree being cut down. And dropping the baseball bat that he held in the process. The boys standing around me looked at the kid slightly frighten as he had just taken down their so called mighty leader. Quickly they ran away like a flock of pigeons flying away after being chase by a small child, leaving behind their fallen comrade.

The boy slowly approached me, I kept my gaze down, not really knowing what to do...not knowing if he was gonna hurt me too or...

..."Hey are you ok?"...

...I looked up to see him kneeling in front of me, with his hand stretched out to me, offering to help me up. Still scared, I took his hand, not really knowing why I trusted this kid. He got up helping me up as I muttered softly, "I-I'm fine..." He noticed the scrape on my cheek, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the dirt surrounding the wound. I whimpered softly, pulling back slightly at the contact of the fabric on my raw skin. 

"Hey, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." 

He said in a soft spoken voice as he smiled at me. He reached out a second time and this time I didn't pull away, letting him clean my cheek...

"Th-thank you...for saving me...even though you didn't have to..." I spoke shyly as I kept my gaze away from his. 

"It's ok. I just don't like seeing people pick on those weaker than themselves." 

He said with a smile. Blushing at the comment, I looked up, glaring at him slightly, "Are you saying I'm weak?" 

He chuckled and kept smiling that stupid smile, 

"No. I'm just saying I don't like seeing people getting bullied. Especially if it's a girl." 

I could have sworn I saw him blush too, making me giggle for a bit before going silent again, realizing his hand was still on my cheek. He must have noticed this too as he quickly retracted his hand away from my face. It felt weird...to have someone care about you...it felt good...almost enough to make me smile...

..."So what's your name?" he asked...

...not many of the other kids in the orphanage really knew my name...besides those who picked on me...

..."Um...I'm L-Lillian..." I answered shyly...

"Lillian? That's a pretty name." 

The small boy that stood behind his brother answered with a sweet smile, 

"I'm Mokuba and this is my big brother Seto. Hey wanna be friends with us? My big brother can keep you safe from the kids who bully you..."

...friends...

...nobody had ever wanted to be friends with me...let alone wants be around me...

Before I could even answer him, Mokuba grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the red and yellow swing set, Seto following close behind us. We spent the afternoon playing together and many days after that. We became close, Seto taught me how to stand up for myself and also how to play chess, while Mokuba taught me how to be a kid. I was never kid actually. I mostly spent my days lost in thought instead of playing. I had friends for the first time in my petty little life and for the first time I could actually truly smile and laugh. They had welcomed me into their lives without a second thought and they accepted me for who I was and they cared about me, and soon I came to care about them just the same.

For the first time in a very long time I felt something warm with in my heart...I felt...happy in some way...I felt like maybe...just maybe there was hope for me. That maybe I wasn't meant to be alone forever. Mokuba and Seto had given me something much more than just their friendship...they had given me hope, hope that I had long since been forgotten. Hope that my life would become better; a hope that someday I would get adopted and would find a family that loved me and that would take care of me.


	3. Saying goodbye but finding a family...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saying goodbye to a friend is always hard, but saying hello to a new life is always exciting...

Almost a year has now passed since Seto and Mokuba had arrived at the orphanage and my world had changed. We became like a family and promised that we would always be together no matter what. I was no longer bullied and Markiato and his band of idiots left me alone. Things were going great and I was happy...sadly the day I had always dreaded came...the day Seto and Mokuba were taken away from me...the day they were adopted.

When news got out that the CEO of a big corporation was coming to visit the orphanage, Seto started coming up with a plan. It was odd seeing him this way...serious and almost never smiling. In the first few months that he and Mokuba were here, he seemed mostly happy, trying to keep a smile on his face for Mokuba's sake. However he started to change...it seemed that he was growing up too fast, but who could blame him. He had a little brother to take care of. Seto had once told me that the reason for him turning down so many families that wanted to adopt him was that he wouldn't leave without his brother and that he wanted to make sure that whoever adopted them was well off and would never suffer financially. So when word got out that Gozaburo Kaiba, Seto started to finalise his plan. Since Gozaburo was not only well known for his title in the business industry, he was also well known for his skills in the game of chess, (not that anyone could match the skills of my...I mean...nevermind). So the plan was that when Mr. Kaiba arrived, Seto would challenge him to a game of chess, in exchange if Seto won, then Gozaburo would have no choice but to adopt him and Mokuba, both of them becoming the children of one of the most powerful business tycoons in the country. Seto seemed so perfectly certain that his plan would work...however there was one thing he left out of the equation...he left out...me...

It was the day before Mr. Kaiba would be arrive and I would have to say goodbye to the only friends I ever had. I was sitting by myself on the swing set, a growing pain spreading in my heart. I held in my emotions as best I can, I didn't want to upset the two boys, especially when there was a chance that they could have a better life. But it still hurt...my only family was possibly going to leave and I would be where I was in the beginning...alone...but that wasn't the only reason why I was upset today. You see today was my birthday, I was turning 10 and you know what they say about orphans who are 10 or older...there's no chance of them being adopted. And not to mention, my birthday was a reminder that I was unwanted and would always be alone...Seto was a year younger than me and Mokuba was about 5 years old...

I was staring down at the ground when Seto came over and sat on the swing next to mine. It was obvious he had seen that I was looking rather down today. Not making any eye contact with him, I just wanted to be left alone...

"Well, Mokuba seems rather excited about tomorrow. I mean...both of us would have a chance to have a good life and we would never have to suffer again..." 

I could feel him smiling as he spoke. His words cut me very deep with the mention of them leaving. I bit my lip, holding back the tears...

"That's great. I-I'm happy for you two..." I mumble trying not to show any signs of sadness. However, Seto knew me too well. He could easily pick up when I was upset and when I was happy. He could read me like a book. He turned towards me, the smile fading from his face,

"Hey, are you ok? You seem a little down." 

I could hear the hint of concern in his voice as he spoke. I didn't answer; I didn't want to talk to him right now...like I said...I wanted to be alone. I could sense him processing what could be wrong, spending so much time with him and Mokuba had given us the ability to pick up when any of us were deep in thought and what they were feeling, we knew each other too well to have any secrets between us...and it was at that moment when I knew he figured it out, or I thought he did. His expression changed to that of someone who had forgotten something important...

..."Oh that's right, it's your birthday." 

He smiled softly as he took my hand in his, "Is that why you're upset? You thought I forgot something as important as your birthday?" 

He got up out of the swing and kneeled down in front of me, still holding my hand, trying to look at my face. I still tried hard to stay emotionless, but it was getting difficult with each passing second that he was near me. At the moment I hated him, I hated him for the way how he could make me open up, I hated him for the fact that he gave me happiness, I hated him for the way he made me feel and most of all, I hated him for wanting to leave me behind and steal away my happiness. I finally broke as a tear run down my cheek; this didn't go unnoticed by him. 

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked concerned. I jerked my hand away and got up, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled as I ran to my room, slamming the door behind me. I sat in the cold, dusty corner in the room and I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my face in my arms and cried. I cried and cried, not caring who heard me. I poured out my heart through my tears, I was broken and it was his fault. He gave me hope that I could be happy, that I would never have to be alone again; he gave me the feeling of what a family was. It was his entire fault, it was his fault for making me hurt so much. He broke my heart, he broke me. I hated him! I hated Seto and I would never forgive him for abandoning me just like my parents did...

I didn't hear the door opening as the sounds of my shattered cries deafened the sounds around me. I only saw the shadow of someone entering the room and it wasn't hard to tell who it was. 

"G-go a-away S-Seto. I-I wanna b-be alone..." I stuttered in between my sobs. 

I didn't notice the box he was carrying with him. Without saying anything he sat beside me, setting the box down and wrapped his arms around me, embracing me in a warm hug. As much as I hated him right now, he always knew just how to cheer me up or make me feel better. He rubbed my back in little circles, trying to soothe my pain. I didn't stop crying, I couldn't stop myself from letting out the past 10 years of pain I went through. I let out all the anger, all the hurt, and all the sadness, everything I held back for all those years. I wanted it all to just go away...I wanted to be alone...because that is where I would be by night fall tomorrow...and every other night there after...

..."You're upset because Mokuba and I are leaving tomorrow...am I right?"...

I looked up at him to see his eyes closed as he faced downwards. I didn't expect him to say anything, even him knowing why I was really upset. His eyes slowly opened and he turned his gaze towards me and I was met with those same sweet blue eyes I had seen the day he arrived at this place. Those beautiful blue eyes that held so much, but what I saw in those orbs now was sorrow...

"I know you think we are...well I'm abandoning you, but I'm keeping you safe. I know you think that me and Mokuba are leaving you behind but the thing is, I don't know what this guy is like and I can't take the risk of this guy being a creep and risk you getting hurt or worse..." he looked away sighing softly, "I care about you too much to risk your safety. Before we met, it was just me and Mokuba and it was easy to just have to take care of him. But to watch out for two people who are very close to my heart and-"

..."Seto stop..." I interrupted him. He looked back at me confused while I looked away, 

"I get it. Your little brother comes first. And I don't want to be the one to hold you back from a good life." I turned back to him and smiled and wrapped my arms around him, "I was being selfish. And I'm sorry for getting upset with you." I pulled back and gazed up at him, the tears running down my cheeks were those of joy, "I should have never doubted you Seto. I was just scared of losing my two best friends..." he reached out to wipe away my tears as I spoke. 

It still hurt, but I guessed it would still be inevitable. They would eventually have to leave and I would be left behind...but it would be alright. I would be ok somehow. Seto had taught me something about myself that I never knew...that I was strong and I knew how to survive on my own...and that made me smile at him, and he returned a smile. 

He reached over for the box that he had brought, "When I went looking for Mokuba's toy aeroplane after the caretakers took it from him, I found this on one of the shelves in the closet where they keep the confiscated things..." he said as he handed the box to me. 

I examined the box and noticed that my name was written on it. I was rather confused as I had never seen this box before. I slowly opened the box and took a look inside...

...My eyes widened, the things inside...a purse...silver female watch...a purple scarf and a necklace that held a beautiful blue jewel.

I picked up the purse and opened it; pulling out the only thing that was inside it, an old photo of a man and a woman...could these have been my parents? It could be possible that the things in the box belonged to my mother...the things could have been left behind when my father ran off. Seto reached into the box, pulling out the necklace, "I think this was your mothers...I thought that it wasn't fair that the caretakers kept this away from you for all these years. So..." he reached out and hung the necklace around my neck, "...I got this back for you. I guess it can be some sort of a birthday gift." He said chuckling. I dropped the box and wrapped my arms around him again, hugging him tightly as I cried again, "Thank you. Thank you so much Seto." 

He just smiled as he hugged back, "You're welcome Lillian. And remember, whatever happens tomorrow...we'll always be together...in here," he said placing his hand on my heart, and I placed my hand over his as I smiled, knowing everything was gonna be ok...

It's been a week since Seto and Mokuba were adopted and left the orphanage. And I was alone again. And that was ok. A letter had arrived yesterday with a number on it and a note saying that if I ever wanted to contact Seto and Mokuba, I could call that number. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to use the telephones. So it was of no use to try...

But something unexpected happened that day as I sat on the lonely bench once again...

The gates at the front of the orphanage opened and in walked a family...a mom, a dad and a little boy who seemed to be about 8 years old. The parents went into the main building to get the papers ready for the child they were going to adopted, while the little boy headed to the playground where all the kids were. And after taking my look at this kid...I mean I've seen a lot of odd looking people in my sort life, but this one takes the cake. He had black hair with the tips tinted a red colour, the bangs that framed his sweet little face was bright blonde and not to mention the fact that his hair had been spiked up in different directions, almost forming a star shape. And also...I could have sworn he was wearing black eye liner, and I mean, who allows their kid to do that? And get this, his clothes, he wore a tight, black, long sleeve shirt with a dark grey sleeveless jacket over it, and he was wearing black jeans and black and white trainers. But what shocked me the most were his eyes...they were a dark purple colour, something I had never seen before. But they matched his innocent child like face perfectly and he was well...really short and small.

He wondered around the playground smiling at each of the other kids but in return they glared at him like he was some kind of a freak. Who would blame them considering how this boy looked. His smile faded as he seemed to become scared at the stares he was getting and honestly, I felt a little sorry for him. And also guilty for being so judgemental about him just because of how he looked. He soon caught sight of me and wondered over, sitting next to me as his smile returned. 

"You seem a little lonely, mind if I give you a little company?" he asked sweetly. I turned to face him, about to tell him that I wanted to be left alone, when I found myself staring at the cutest face I had ever seen. It glowed of joy and innocence. How could I be mean to anyone that looked at me with those puppy like eyes? Before I could answer, Markiato and his gang arrived, ignoring me and grabbing the spiky haired kid by his shirt collar and lifting him into the air. 

"Well, well, well...what do we have here? A little weirdo who wants to play with the loner." he laughed as the others snickered. The scared boy squirmed, trying to get out the older boys grip, "Pl-please sir, I-I don't want any trouble." The little boy said obviously scared. "Well guess what, I am trouble you freak!" Markiato bellowed as he raised his fist and punched the small boy in the face and throwing him onto the ground, proceeding to kick him in the stomach. The boy cringed and cried out in pain, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he curled up into fettle position. I caught a glimpse at his face and saw the tears forming in his eyes and so did Markiato, "Look fellas, we have a little cry baby on our hands." and they all started laughing. My blood started to boil as I stood up, clenching my fists. How could he be so cruel to someone so small and seemly innocent? I marched over to Markiato, "Leave him alone you jackass!" I shouted at him, he slowly turned to me, glaring at me. "Did you just call me a jackass loser?" he said through his teeth. "Yes I did. Why don't you leave us alone? Why do you always have to pick on the kids smaller than you, you fat freak?" I spoke out loudly, causing all the kids on the playground to go slightly and look at us. The little boy lying on the ground as managed to sit up slightly and look at me. I could see Markiato getting mad as he shoved me, "Better watch your mouth. Remember, you don't have your little boyfriend to protect you anymore. So once again...you are all al-OOOOO!!" he cried out as I kicked him hard between the legs, right where it hurts. Cupping his crotch he fell to his knees, wincing and whizzing in pain as he looked up at me, "Y-you're g-gonna pay for that you little-" I grabbed his head and slammed my knee into his face, a soft cracking noise could be heard as his nose broke. He pulled back, cupping his face as the blood run from his nose over his lips, “You little bitch!" He exclaimed, I saw his eyes begin to water, giving him a final kick in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. All the kids on the playground jumped up and cheered for me as if I was a hero. 

I leaned over him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt lifting him up, "Consider this a warning Markiato, if you ever mess with me or any other kid again...well let’s just say I won't hold back." And with that said, I slammed him back onto the ground. Standing up, I glared at the other boys surrounding the weird looking kid, their expressions were terrified as they stared at me, causing me to grin, "So…Who’s next?" after saying that, they all ran off like whimpers. Smiling to myself, I walked over to the little boy and helped him up, dusting off his clothes, "Are you ok?" I asked, gently running my soft hand over the bruise forming on his cheek from being hit by Markiato. He just nodded as he looked up at me, not fearfully but...thankfully. I took his hand in mine and started walking to the main building with him, "Come, I'll take you to your parents."

Once we were inside the office, the little boy ran to his mother, leaving me standing in the door way. The woman knelt down, looking worried as she saw the bruise on her sons face, "Who...who did this to you?" she said before she looked in my direction, "Did she hurt you?" she frowned at me. I actually felt a little insulted, "You stay away from my boy you menace." Ok that hurt. I was about to leave when the boy spoke, "No mamma, she saved me from the boy who hit me." the boy said as he ran over to me and hugged my waist (he was really short.) "She's my hero." he gazed up at me again with those puppy like eyes. The woman stood up as she and her husband looked at him, I suddenly felt really shy. The man walked towards us and knelt down in front of me, "What's your name sweetheart?" he spoke softly as his wife stood behind him. "Um...Lillian. My names Lillian sir." I answered looking at him. The man looked back at his wife and they both smiled at each other as if they both knew what the other was thinking. The wife headed back to the counter to get the papers as the man looked back at me, "Well Lillian...it seems our son has taken a liking in you," he reached out, raffling the boys hair, making him giggle, "And I want to thank you for saving him. We've been having a lot of problems with him getting bullied at school and him having no friends..." I thought to myself as the man spoke, looking down at the boy, he sounded a lot like me, "So maybe...you could come home with us and be his sister...and keep him safe from the bullies at school?" my eyes widened at his words...they wanted to adopt me? "Please will you come home and be my big sister?" the little boy asked with a big smile on his face. I smiled as I looked at the man and then to the boy, "I...I'd be honoured to." I answered, the man nodded and headed over to his wife to sign the papers. "Hey um...I don't know your name yet..." I said as I hugged my soon to be brother, "Oh my name is Yugi, Yugi Muto." he said with a smile...

The day had finally come...my miracle had come...I had finally found a family...I had found my hope...


	4. A new home...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first night in a new home is always the strangest...

While Mr and Mrs Muto were signing the adoption forms, Yugi and I headed over to my room to pack my things, not like I had much to pack anyway. I pulled out the small brown suitcase from under my bed and opened the drawer of my nightstand, and started pulling out my clothes and folded them up before setting them in the suitcase. Yugi was standing in the middle of the room, looking around curiously as he held his hands behind his back. He wondered over to the old dresser that stood in the corner and opened the box that stood on it, (the very box Seto had given to me for my birthday). I was unaware of what he was up to as I was focused on getting my things together. "Hey Lilly...what's this?" I heard Yugi ask; I turned towards him and saw that he was holding my mother’s necklace up in the air, looking at it in wonder as the jewel that hung on it shone brightly. I wanted to yell at him for touching my things but I just couldn't. Those adorable purple eyes and sweet face was just too cute to be mad at. Instead I just smiled softly at him, "That was my mother’s necklace, it’s the only thing I have left of her...".”Where is your mamma?" he asked tilting his head slightly as he looked at me. My heart started to hurt a little thinking about my mother...I was told that she passed away during child birth and as I mentioned before my father ran away, leaving me behind. A tear ran down my cheek as I sat on the floor, staring down at the old carpet. I hated that man who abandoned me; I couldn't even call him a father after what he did to me. Before I knew it, Yugi was standing in front of me and got down on his knees and leaned over, hanging the necklace around my neck as he smiled at me. And he proceeded to wrap his arms around me and hugged me, "It's ok Lilly. You have a new mamma now and a papa. And you have me." he said with a soft giggle. I smiled and wrapped my arms around my new little brother...wow...I had a brother...I had a family...  
We headed to the office; I held Yugi's hand in my right hand and my suitcase in the other. The papers had been signed and my new parents led me and my little brother out of the orphanage and into the parking lot to the car. I took one last glance at the place which housed me for the past 10 years while my dad loaded my suitcase into the trunk...it felt a little weird calling someone dad. It was gonna take some time getting used to having parents and more importantly a little brother. My new mother opened the car door for me and Yugi. I let him get in first, and then I got in. I got the seat belt on as mom closed the door. Yugi sat in the middle and got his seat belt on before laying his head on my shoulder, smiling as he closed his sweet eyes and slowly fell asleep as mom and dad got into the car and we drove off to my new home. "Listen Lillian..." I looked up hearing my dad speak..."I know this is going to take some time getting use to and it's going to be a while before you can trust us and you may not know much about us and we don't know much about you since we skipped the interview...", he was interrupted by his wife, "But know that we are going to try our best to make you happy. You protected out little Yugi and we are extremely grateful my dear. He gets bullied a lot at school because of his size and his shyness. And he doesn't have any friends. For the past 3 years now, he's been asking for a big brother or sister to protect him." I listened as she spoke. I guess it would make sense for someone like Yugi considering how Markiato had hurt him, just because he was a little boy. I reached over, tucking some of the sleeping child's blond bangs behind his ear. “He was rather excited when he heard that we were going to adopt an older sibling for him. To be honest I didn't think it would be this easy finding another child." dad let out a soft chuckle as he spoke, I raised a brow wondering what he meant by that. “I guess what I'm trying to say is that we thought it would have been hard to find someone who would get along with our Yugi and who would be there for him when he needed a friend. And when you two walked into the office and explained what happened, we knew we had found our perfect child. And that's you Lillian." he said with a smile as we arrived at a triple story game shop. Ok, now I was confused. Was this...my new home? I careful shook Yugi awake as dad parked the car and got out with mom, followed by me and Yugi. Dad got my suitcase out of the trunk and walked to the front door, Yugi holding my hand as we walked, well he was sort of skipping, I think. Dad opened the door and let me and Yugi in first before he called out, "Dad we're back." seeing an old man popping out from behind the counter with a big smile on his face, “That was quick. Didn't think you would be back so soon." he spoke in a humble tone, it was almost soothing in a way. Yugi smiled widely letting go of my hand and running to the old man, "Grandpa!" the old man embraced the small child with a smile, “There’s someone I want you to meet." Yugi said as dad placed a hand on my shoulder. “Dad we'd like you to meet Lillian, the new member of the Muto family." dad said looking down at me. The old man walked over to me...he was well...rather short and looked quite a bit like Yugi. I guess he gets his looks from his grandfather. He looked me up and down before pulling me into a bear hug as he chuckled." Welcome to the family my dear. I hope you like it here." he bellowed with a chuckle and a smile.  
I lay awake in my new bed in my new room that night. A storm was busy roaring outside. I didn't mind it really, the weather rarely bothered me. Sometimes it seemed the weather changed according to my mood. Sighing softly I glanced around at my bedroom. The floor was covered in a soft white carpet, a white wood dresser with a round mirror stood on the other side of the room next to a white wood, double door closet, both covered with a small blue bird design, and a matching desk by the window. My bed stood in the corner facing the door, the walls were painted a soft, baby blue colour, my bed covered in blue bedsheets with white birds on them and a matching set of curtains hung at the window. The room was...nice. They made a lot of effort to make sure I felt comfortable...but it still would be a while before it felt like home. The evening had gone by as followed, first Yugi took me upstairs to his room and we played together for a while. He even showed me his most prized possession, a golden box with a symbol on it that looked like an eye, he said his grandfather and recently given it to him when he arrived back from his excavation trip to Egypt. I had to admit it was pretty cool but what was inside it was even cooler...it seemed to have been a puzzle of some sorts. Yugi said he enjoyed puzzles a lot and he was really excited about finishing this one. He even told me that once the puzzle was completed, he could make a wish and it would come true. It sounded awesome but sadly...even I know magic doesn't exist. We were soon called for dinner. We had burgers, Yugi's favourite. And for a small kid like him he sure could eat a lot. He ate like 3. I had only one with a vegetable patty. Early they asked me what I preferred to eat, and I told them anything really except for meat. (It’s just that after so many years of being served something that was supposed to be meat really put me of it) And they went out and got me vegetarian burger patties. They didn't even think twice about getting me what I wanted. It warmed my heart to know that these people really cared about me. After dinner it was bath time. Yugi went first and then me. Mom helped wash my hair while I did the rest. It was the first time I ever had a proper bath. Back at the orphanage you were only allowed to use a jug full of water to clean. Back at the orphanage, they said that because there were so many of us, there wasn't enough water so we had to ration the water carefully. So having a full bath all to myself was heaven. After getting all cleaned up, mom gave me a set of new pyjamas. It was a pink long sleeve button up shirt with white bunnies on it and a pair of matching long pants. I didn't like the colour so much but they were really comfortable. After getting dressed, mom and I sat on my bed and she brushed out my hair while she softly sang to me. It felt...good knowing someone cared so much about me even though they barely knew me. Once she was done, she tucked me in, dad and Grandpa came in to say good night, Yugi was already asleep in bed. Mom kissed my forehead before turning off the lamp on my night stand and left, closing the door behind her.  
So much had already happened today, I thought to myself as I ran my fingers over my birth mothers necklace that hung around my neck, tracing my index finger along the thin golden chain till it arrived at the beautiful jewel. I had to admit there was something weird about the blue jewel, I felt almost drawn to it, but also like I had seen it before...but in another life...I was pulled out of my thoughts as a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, the rain still pouring down hard. It was really coming down hard tonight, not that anyone would notice since they all went to bed some time ago...except...  
I looked up seeing my bedroom door opening and in the door way stood a scared looking Yugi, dressed in his blue pyjamas with yellow stars on them and clenching a teddy bear close to his chest. I slowly sat up turning on my lamp, “Yugi, what are you doing up?" I said as I got out of bed and walked over to him. “I-I got sc-scared o-of the storm." he looked up at me with trembling, tearful eyes. Smiling softly at him, I gently stroked his cheek to calm him, “It’s ok to be afraid of things from time to time. But just know that you are safe in here with the rest of us Yugi.”

“I-I know...but...can I stay with you tonight? I feel safer when I'm with you." He said as he trembled. I knew it would be cruel to leave the little angel alone in his room when a wild storm was going on outside. So I put my arm around his shoulder and led him to my bed, letting him climb in first and then me. Pulling the blue comforter over us, and reaching over to turn off the lamp. It was a good thing we were both...well it was a good thing he was small so we could both fit in the bed. He snuggled up close to me, nuzzling my chest as his eyes closed; I wrapped my arms around him to make sure he felt safe and warm as he slept...  
..."Um Lilly...can I ask you something?" I was just about to doze off when he spoke...  
..."Um sure Yugi. What is it?"...  
..."Why did you save me from that bully?"...  
..."Well...a good friend told me that he didn't like seeing people picking on those weaker than them...and I guessed it rubbed off on me a little bit. I just couldn't see someone as sweet as you getting hurt by someone like Markiato."...  
..."Well, he must have been a really good friend...I hope I can *yawn* meet him one day...and maybe then *yawn* I'll be as brave as you..." he said as he slowly fell asleep...I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Maybe you will meet him one day little brother...and I promise I'll always keep you safe...my little angel." a thought crossed my mind before I fell asleep...tomorrow I would finally be able to call Seto and thank him for what he taught me...to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves...


	5. A new day and old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up to a new day is renewing but so is reconnecting with old friends.

Lillian woke up the next morning; it took her a moment to remember where she was. As she opened her eyes, she was met with a clean white painted ceiling instead of the rusted underside of the bunk bed she slept on for the last 10. Instead of the smell of mould, dust and other foul odours that plagued the orphanage since she got there, the scent of fresh lavender filled the air. And of course instead of the sound of screaming and crying children, she heard the soft piter pater of rain hitting the roof, and another strange sound. The sound of her adoptive brothers’ soft snores, the small boy was still fast asleep beside her. His arm splayed across her torso, his head resting on her chest, a small drop of drool running down his chin as he had the sweetest sleeping expression on his face. Lillian couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She gently stroked his cheek before moving a few strands of his blond hair out of his face. She never imagined ever being big sister to an adorable little boy like Yugi. He reminded her of Mokuba in a way, they were both young and innocent, yet having experienced the cruelty of the world so soon in their lives. 

As she was getting lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Yugi waking up, yawing softly as his purple eyes opened and looked up at her. A soft smile on his face as he looks at her, “Morning.” He giggled softly, bringing Lillian back to reality. She smiled back at him, “Morning to you too. How did you sleep?” she asked the young boy as he sat up and stretched before rubbing his eyes. “I slept well. And you?” Yugi responds as he looks at her, tilting his head which Lillian finds adorable. What was it with this kid being so cute? She sits up and stretches, “Best sleep I’ve had in years. I guess it’s got something to do with sleeping in a real bed for once. And having a little bed buddy wasn’t too bad either." She giggled as she watched him blush. She reached over and ruffled his spikey hair when the door of her room opened and Grandpa stepped in, a warm smile on his face, “Well I thought I might find you here. We did have a pretty nasty storm last night. Poor boys never liked thunder storms.” Lillian shook her head and glanced at Yugi who was acting kinda shy, “Of course he doesn’t. Luckily I don’t mind them. I’ll keep you safe.” she gives her little brother a small hug before they both got out of bed. 

Grandpa led the two kids downstairs to the kitchen where Mrs Muto was making breakfast. She was humming a soft melody while scrambling the eggs she was cooking in a pan. The kitchen island was already covered in different kind of foods, everything from pancakes to waffles, bacon to sausages and even tofu, boiled eggs, different types of fruits and even different cereals and oats. Lillian’s eyes were widen like dinner plates as she eyed all the food, Mrs Muto smiling as she watched her new daughters reaction, “I thought you kids might be hungry so I made a bit of everything.” Yugi smiled happily as he got onto one of the bar stools surrounding the island, quickly filling his plate with food with a bit of everything. Lillian soon joined him, filling her plate up with pancakes, tofu and some strawberries from the bowl of cut up fruit. 

Lillian noticed at Mr Muto hasn’t come down for breakfast, she asked her mother where was before Yugi explained that he normally leaves early for his job. Curiously she asked what he did and her mother explains that he is an archaeologist just like Grandpa and works at the local museum. She listened to Yugi ramble on about their father and Grandpa’s discoveries, which Lillian found rather interesting. At some point Grandpa notices the necklace that still hung around Lillian’s neck, “Say my dear where did you get that?” he asks curiously. Lillian looks down at her necklace, “Oh. Um it was my…mothers. It’s one of the few things I have left of her. Unfortunately I don’t know where she got it from.” She didn’t really like talking about her mother or her bastard of a father. Not only was it a sore topic but she didn’t even know much about her birth parents. No one at the orphanage knew anything and never replied to her questions either. 

Grandpa approached her and held out his hand, “May I have a look at it?” he asks in a gentle voice. Lilian quickly grips her necklace and shakes her head. Grandpa’s expression softens, “It is alright, I will be careful I promise. A good archaeologist is always careful with rare and precious items.” Lillian was still hesitant but feels reassurance in the old man’s words. She careful reaches behind her neck and unclips the clasp before taking off the necklace and gently places it in Grandpa’s hand. Grandpa takes a few moments to examine the necklace, being drawn to the bright blue jewel that was the centre piece. There was something familiar about it, he was sure he’d seen it before. From what he could tell, the necklace was fairly old, maybe even ancient. “Would you mind if I keep hold of this for a while? I would like to show this to an old friend who might know more about it than I do. He might even know where it comes from.” Grandpa says with a knowing smile. As much as Lillian didn’t want to be without her mother necklace, she was more interested in finding out more about the necklace. Maybe knowing where it was from could lead her to learning more about her parents even some part of her didn’t want to. She gives a nod, “Just promise me you’ll be careful.” Solomon smiles softly and gently pats her on the head, “No harm will come to this my dear. That I promise you.” She feels comforted and hesitantly gives him a hug.

After breakfast, Mrs Muto sends the kids upstairs to wash up and get dressed. She wanted to take Lillian shopping for some new clothes and a few other things she might need and Yugi wanted to tag along to spend more time with his new sister. 

As Lillian was getting dressed (wearing a faded blue shirt and a worn out pair of jeans with old sneakers. They barely fit at this point, all her clothes were basically hand-me-downs since the orphanage never bought anyone new clothes and simply handed out old clothes that were donated), she noticed a piece of paper sticking out of her pocket. Taking it out and unfolding it, revealing a number. It was the number Seto had sent to her if she ever wanted to call him. A smile formed on her face, she was finally gonna have a chance to call her best friend who she hasn’t seen in so long. She knew he would be surprised to hear from her but she knew he would be happy to know she finally was adopted. 

She heard her mother calling and put the piece of paper in her nightstand, she would ask later to use the phone. She headed downstairs to where her mother and Yugi were waiting. Mrs Muto noticed the girls’ old clothes and felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She knew the girl must’ve had a rough life since she saw the state of the orphanage. She had heard from the lady in charge that Lillian was abandoned at a hospital by her father after her mother died during childbirth. She couldn’t understand who would ever leave their new born child alone so soon after their birth. She couldn’t imagine her husband abandoning Yugi if she had ever passed away. She promised that she would love and care for Lillian and give her the life she deserved, their whole family would. And they would probably ring the neck of the man that abandoned Lillian if he ever showed up. 

The 3 Muto’s arrived at the mall and Mrs Muto told Lillian she could choose any store she wanted to get clothes from. Lillian hesitantly looked around, never having been in such a large place before. She wasn’t sure where to go, she felt someone taking her hand, she looked down and saw that Yugi had taken her hand. He smiles at her, “I know where we can go.” He giggles and drags her off to a nearby store that sold trendy kids clothes. Mrs Muto followed her children shaking her head as she smiled. 

Entering the store, Lillian looked around. Yugi left her side and went searching for clothes of his own. This kid was really weird, Lillian couldn’t understand him. From what she knew about boys was that they should hate clothes shopping but this kid seemed more than happy to do it. She started looking around, finding a few new clothes that she liked, mostly consisting of plain shirts, button up plaid shirts (mostly blue and white) and a few jeans. She also found some new shoes that seemed rather comfortable. Her mother approached her holding a white dress with blue flowers on it, “You seem to like these colours and I was wondering if you would like it.” Lillian looked at the dress; she had never had one before, just shirts and pants. She carefully took the dress and went to go try it on in the changing room. She put the dress on and looked at herself in the mirror and liked how it looked on her. She stepped out of the dressing room and returned to her mother and Yugi. Her mother smiled seeing her and Yugi started to blush as he looked her, “You look pretty.” The small child said shyly. Lillian smiled as her mother said she could keep the dress on as she goes to pay for the clothes. Once everything was paid for, Mrs Muto takes the kids to the hair salon.

Meanwhile, Solomon Muto was cleaning the shop when his old friend professor Hawkins walks in, “Greetings old friend.” Solomon smiles, “Greetings to you too.” The two old men have a quick chat before Solomon shows Hawkins the necklace, “This belongs to my new granddaughter. I knew I recognised it but I’m just not sure where. I thought you might have some more insight.” Hawkins takes the necklace carefully and examines for a moment before setting it down and taking out a file from his briefcase. He sets it on the table and opens it, inside were documents and photos from an expedition 11 years ago. After finding the Millennium puzzle, a secret chamber was found; there was nothing inside it except for a golden box with a necklace inside, a necklace with a bright blue gem. The very same necklace that sat on the table in front of the two old men, Solomon picked up on of the photos that held the image of the team that discovered the chamber. One of them was one of Hawkins’s interns, a young man who had just been married to a lovely young woman and both of them were trying for a child. And in the photo the man was holding the blue gemmed necklace.

Hawkins states that the necklace went missing during its transport to the Domino Museum; he suspected that the man responsible for its disappearance was his intern, the man holding the necklace in the picture. Solomon has a suspicion that the intern was connected to Lillian. He notices on one of the other photos was the pictures of the golden box in which the necklace was found, an inscription on the lid read “Within this box is the possession of the Pharaohs guardian, a jewel that holds a goddess who can bring peace to the world or destroy.” The two men continued to talking, trying to figure out what it all meant.

By the time Yugi, Lillian and Mrs Muto had returned home, Hawkins had left and Grandpa was sitting at the counter with Lillian’s necklace in his hands. Grandpa looks at them as the other Muto’s greet him. Grandpa asks if he can speak to Lillian alone. Yugi and Mrs Muto heads upstairs as Lillian stays with grandpa. Solomon wasn’t entirely sure what he would tell her, if he should tell her that he might’ve found her father. He knew he had to tell her, but looking at her innocent face, her bright blue eyes that had probably seen too much in their life. He couldn’t stand to hurt her anymore. He would keep this a secret till she was old enough to know.

“You wanted to talk grandpa?” Lillian asks innocently.

“Oh yes, well turns out that this necklace is from Egypt…” he answers her with a humble smile.

He spent the rest of the afternoon telling her about the necklace…

Later that night…

As Lillian was getting ready for bed, she remembered the number. She grabbed it from her drawer and headed downstairs, grabbing the phone and dialling the number. She hears it ringing for a while before it goes dead. She tries again but no luck. She sighs and puts the phone away, she guesses Seto was probably asleep. Just as she was about to go back upstairs, the phone started ringing. She smiles and quickly answers it. 

“Seto?”  
“Lillian? Is that…is that you?” Hearing Seto’s voice for the first time in so long brought tears to her eyes.

“How…how are you?”

“I’m…ok. What took you so long to call?”

“Well, believe or not but I was adopted yesterday.” She answers with a proud smile.

“Oh. I’m so happy for you.” Something didn’t sound right. Seto sounded…sad. Or rather hurt.

“Hey is everything ok?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m ok. So you got adopted?”

“Yeah, the family is really nice. And I have a little brother now too. His name is—“

“NO don’t tell me their names!! Never tell me their names!!”

“Um…ok…but why?”

Seto sighs as he rests his free hand over his black eye, “Listen to me, my father isn’t a good man. His a very bad man. And I…I can’t risk you get me hurt.” He sounded really…scared. It worried Lillian hearing him sound this way.

“Ok, I promise I wont saying anything, not until your father is gone.”

Seto smiles a little feeling relieved, “SO what else can you tell me?”

The two friends keep talking for a while before saying goodnight. Both heading to bed and hoping that they could talk again soon…


	6. 7 years later...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alot can happen in 7 years...

7 years into the future...

Yugi stood by the open window of his sister’s room, tears running down his cheeks and falling onto the letter in his hands...a rainstorm raging outside as the water droplets escaped into the nearly empty room. A crack of thunder shatters across the sky, lighting up the 15 year old boys' face as he stared out the window in despair. His parents and Grandpa rushed into the room as they heard the crack of lightening, they were all in their night clothes as the sound of the storm had woken them. All three noticed that the room was rather empty...as in someone was missing. Yugi's mother walked over to him, "Sweetie what's wrong? Where's Lillian?" she asked as her eyes scanned the room. "Sh-she's gone..." the short boy mumbled as he looked down at the letter. “What do you mean she's gone?" his father took the letter from his son's trembling hands. "She left...she ran away..." Yugi struggled to get the words out as his eyes were filled with wet tears. His mother’s eyes widened as she rushed to the open window, screaming over the rain and thunder as a wave of worry and fear washed over her at the thought of her daughter leaving, "LILLIAN!” The old man walked over to his son who was reading through the letter, "What does it say?" he asked glancing towards his grandson who was standing still as the shock of losing his sister, his best friend, came over him. "The letter says...

Dear mom, dad, Grandpa and Yugi,   
This wasn't easy to write and it was even less easy to leave. I'm sorry for hurting you by going away, but I just had to. I need time to be alone and discover who I am. So much happened in the past few months which have messed with my head. Nightmares, visions, restless nights, a feeling that something is coming and I need to be ready for it. I've started questioning who I am, and many other things that has been heavy on my heart. I'm not leaving forever...I just really need time to myself for a while. Please don't come looking for me, don't even try. I promise I'll come home someday, just not now. I love you guys so much and I'm very grateful for everything you have done for me in the past 7 years. But right now I need to be alone...  
Love, your daughter,  
Lilly..."

...once he was done reading the letter, he dropped it and headed down stairs quickly to grab his car keys and jacket to go out to look for Lillian while Yugi ran to his room, slamming the door closed behind him. He collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow as he cried heartbroken...grandpa and mother started looking through the missing girl’s room to try and find any clues as to where she might have gone. The worried woman stepped into the bathroom connected to Lillian's bedroom and was shocked when she found a pair of scissors and locks of Lillian's sleek black hair in the bin under the sink...her eyes widened as she rushed downstairs to grab her phone and call her husband who was currently driving through the streets looking for their adopted daughter, the rain that was pouring down hard was not making it easy to spot her in the dark. As Lillian's mother tried to phone her husband, Grandpa closed the open window in the girl’s room...hoping that his granddaughter was alright...

Somewhere in the streets, walking alone was Lillian walking wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over her head, a pair of skinny black jeans and a pair of blue sneakers. She walked with her hands in her pockets and she was carrying a backpack with her. The rain hid the tears that were running down her cheeks. It seemed the more she cried the harder the rain seemed to fall. She had been walking for a while now, she made sure to leave her phone behind so that her parents couldn't contact her. Just thinking about them made her heart ache even more, and a thought of her little brother popped into her mind...she stopped as a new wave of sadness washed over her. She wanted to run back home so badly and pull him into her arms and hug him as tightly as she could and never let him go. She knew how heartbroken he would be when he read the note she left for them. But she couldn't, she just couldn't. She had just too many questions right now and she just so confused. 

The nightmares had seemed so real, they were mostly about drowning. She would find herself sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean, the pressure and pain growing on her lungs but strangely enough she could still breathe. As she went deeper and deeper into the darkness, she heard voices calling out to her, 'Help us.' She would then wake up panting and drenched in sweat. Every night the nightmares would get longer and longer and the voices would grow louder and louder. She couldn't stand it any longer. Was she losing her mind? Was something wrong with her? And what did the dreams mean? She felt like something bad was coming...she needed to find out what it all meant before she loses her mind.

As she kept walking, the memories of the past 7 years flowed through her mind. From the first day of school, when she nearly beat up this blond headed kid for picking on her little brother. It was hard to keep an eye on him during school because she was in two grades higher than Yugi, and the only time she got to hang out with him at school was during rescues. Yugi would spend that time in the class room as always playing games by himself until Lillian came around to join him. She hated seeing her little brother lonely so she tried to spend as much time with him as possible as it was hard for him make friends. He was...well shy. But it was one of the things that made him so incredibly adorable. She knew she was going to miss him dearly. They had grown so close over the years, they were almost inseparable. But now, who knew how long it would take before they saw each other again...

She finally reached the place where she wanted to be. She slowly pushed open the gates of the giant mansion and walked up the familiar stone pathway and up the steps to the massive dark wood oak doors. It was 01:30 a.m. now meaning that the people living here were most likely asleep but knowing 'him', 'he' would most likely still be awake, probably working. So she rang to door bell and waited. She heard footsteps nearing the door as she took a step back. The sound of the door unlocking made her suddenly feel nervous. What was she going to say to him? How was he going to react to her leaving? And was she going to be able to admit how she felt or would it always be her secret to keep. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the door was slowly opened and in the empty space, wearing silk blue pyjama pants, a white long sleeve shirt and a dark blue night gown that hung open, was none other than Seto Kaiba. "Lillian?" he asked, surprised to see her standing at his door dripping wet from the walking in the rain. "What are you doing here? It's like one in the morning." he said stepping aside to let her in. She walked in, pulling the hood off her head, but instead of her long black hair, it was now short cut. Seto looked rather shocked and confused as he saw her like this, but chose to ignore it as he could sense something was wrong with his childhood friend. "Come, I'll go make us some coffee. Looks like you need it." he put his arm around her as he led her to the kitchen.

They sat at the counter, drinking their coffee in silence as Lillian had still not said anything. Their relationship had changed slightly over the past 7 years. They had remained very close friends and spent a lot of time together, but usually Mokuba was with them, but for a while now their visits were spent with just the two of them. It would have been a lie to say that feelings between the two didn't start to burn in their hearts. It had been Lillian's shimmering blue eyes that had started to draw in the young billionaires attention when they had both started maturing, (Of course Lillian was a year older than him but that didn't matter) and the overall presence and of course her breath taking smile that had captured the young billionaires frozen heart. When he was with her, he somehow changed. He became different, happier and friendlier, almost like she brought out the best side of him. And they both understood each other. Even though Seto seemed to be a cold and heartless person, Lillian knew why he was like this and couldn't care less because she knew he really had a kind and good heart. And that was another thing that drew Seto to her.

They could tell the other had feelings for them but neither of them were brave enough to admit anything. This made it difficult for them to be alone together, afraid that if something was said, and it would ruin the bound that these two shared. So they remained nothing more than friends...and at the moment it seemed that that was they were ever going to be. Lillian finally broke the silence, "I have to leave for a while, and I need to figure out a few things in my life that I'm not entirely sure of. I just...came to say goodbye..." she looked down at the mug in her hands, not wanting to make eye contact with him, afraid of what she might see. The silence prolonged as nothing was said after that. Setting his mug down, Seto reached out, taking Lillian's hand in his in a comforting manner. She gazed up and did what she didn't want to do; she looked into his eyes and saw the pain starting to grow. He let out a sigh, "Do you know when you might be back?” "I don't know...it might be a few weeks, it might be a few months." she answered he nodded. 

Getting up he went to one of the cupboards and pulled out a credit card and a small wrapped gift box. He went back to the counter and sat down beside Lillian, handing her the card, "Travelling isn't cheap. The card is linked to one of my reserved accounts that I was saving for Mokuba. But you can have it. I don't...want you ending up somewhere without any money...” she took the card as he spoke, taking off her back pack and pulling out her wallet, setting the card inside. It warmed her heart knowing that he worried about her and her safety. "Thank you...I really appreciate this...I have something for you too..." she pulled out a gift box of her own. The box was white with a blue ribbon on it, she handed it to the young billionaire, "I was going to give you this for your birthday but I didn't know if I would be back by then..." he looked up at her before carefully removing the ribbon and lifting up the lid of the box, his eyes widening when he saw what was inside...he carefully picked up the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card that had been sitting inside the box..."This is...", "I asked Mokuba what you might like for your birthday and he mentioned that you've always wanted that card. I knew it was rare, so I went looking for it. And I managed to find one..." before she could finish speaking, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She proceeded to do the same, resting her head against his chest listening to the sweet music that his heartbeat. He rested his head on hers as they sat like that for a while; they both wanted this moment to last as long as possible for neither of them knew when they would see the other again.

After another few minutes, Seto pulled away and set the card down on the counter and picked up the gift box he had gotten out of the cupboard. "I was waiting to get back from my trip to America to give you this...but I was busy with work and running KaibaCorp that I lost sense of time..." he says handing her the box, "I hope you like it...". She slowly removes the ribbon and carefully removing the wrapping paper. Inside was a black jewellery box. Opening, she almost gasped at what was inside...a silver necklace with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon pendant on it..."It's beautiful..." she said, as Seto took the necklace out of the box and stepped behind her. She lowered the collar of her hoodie as he hung the necklace around her neck, the pendant settling next to the blue jewel that hung on the necklace she had of her mother. "This way...no matter where you are...you'll know that I'm always with you." He said with a smile as she turned to him, smiling back, before they hugged each other again.

He proceeded to walk her to the door, saying their last goodbye...both of them wanting to say more but just couldn't. He watched as she walked down the stone pathway on the rain, watching as she disappeared into the night. He stood by the open door for a while, staring at the stop where he last saw her, before closing the door and heading to the kitchen. His eyes caught a glimpse at the Duel Monsters card he had been given...he picked it up and stared at it...before setting it down quickly and running out the front door still in his pyjamas, leaving his night robe behind...going off to look for the girl he loved...


	7. A proper goodbye...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is a funny thing...

Seto ran down the street Lillian had walked down a while ago. His bare feet splashing in the puddles the rain drops were creating as they fell from the sky. He started to sprint, scared that he was too late. She mentioned to him before she left that she would be leaving on a train departing at 03:00 a.m. and it was now 02:50 a.m. He cut through the park, not caring about the mud getting on his expensive pyjama pants. The only thing on his mind was whether or not he was too late to catch her before she left for who knew how long. The thought of not being able to see her soft smile and alluring blue eyes and not having her with him spread a feeling of fear and pain in his cold heart. He didn't want to say goodbye, he didn't want her to leave, and he didn't want her to go out alone in the world without him being there to protect her. Ever since the day they first met as kids, he felt the need to keep her away from harm. Seeing that group of idiots hurting a defenceless girl who didn't deserve to be someone else's punching bag sparked something inside him. He made her a promise that they would always be together and if he didn't catch her before that train departed, his promise to her would be broken forever.

The lights of the station could be seen from a distance. The station was currently empty...except for Lillian who was sitting alone on a bench waiting for the train to arrive. It was currently 02:55 a.m. meaning she would be leaving soon. She ran her fingers along the small silver chain which carried the Blue-Eyes pendent around her neck. A tear ran down her cheek thinking about him...thinking about her Seto...and how much it was going to hurt to be without him. She wiped away the tear as the train started pulling up to the station. She stood up picking her backpack in the process. The train slowly came to a stop, she walked up to the platform, ready to...well she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to leave...she wanted to stay so badly...but she knew she needed to leave to figure things out. The train came to a stop and the doors opened in front of her...but instead of getting on she just stood there...lost in thought...her heart and her mind in a struggle...should she listen to her heart and stay here with her friends and family...or should she listen to her head and leave to discover who she really is...

Seto came running into the station...the doors of the train slowly closed...he slid down the railing of the stairs to the platform...the train slowly pulled away from the station just as Seto arrived, yelling out, "Lillian wait!" but it was seemingly too late...the train was already leaving and soon disappeared from the station...leaving behind the young billionaire alone on the platform, watching in despair as the train carrying the girl who had captured his heart, disappear into the darkness..  
He quickly scanned the area of the deserted station before slamming his fist into the concrete pillar beside him in frustration and anger. He had missed his chance...the one chance that some people only get once in a life time. He felt the tears starting to form in his eyes before quickly retracting his emotions...he was Seto Kaiba for hells sake...a successful owner of a massive company...a person who never smiled...who showed no emotion and instilled fear in his enemies with one look...not some love sick puppy who had just run through the rain and dirtied his clothes, just to tell some girl that he loved her...

He was about to leave when he heard the soft sounds of someone crying. Slowly looking around, he tried to find the source of the sound. He walked over to the edge of the platform, seeing...her...seeing his Lillian, standing there, tears streaming down her perfect, soft, cheeks. Seto felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest at the sight. She was still here...she was still here...she slowly looked up, her wet eyes meeting his. They slowly walked towards each other until they were standing in front of one another, staring deeply onto the each other’s eyes. "Seto...WH-what are you doing here?" she asked confused as to why he had come. "I...I came to do something I should have done a long time ago..." he said reaching out and gently wiped away the sweet tears that ran down the girl's cheeks causing her to blush lightly. "And what might that be?" she asked suddenly becoming shy. "This..." he said before leaning down and captured her lips in a soft sweet kiss...

Her eyes widened before they slowly closed, wrapping her arms around his neck, returning the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her against him. Their hearts exploding with emotion as they shared this moment...it seemed the world had slowed down around them, the rain stopping in mid fall before falling again when the two broke apart. A new set of tears formed in Lillian's eyes as Seto smiled down at her, "Why are you crying?" he asked, gently caressing her cheek. "I'm just...so happy...", "Well let’s keep it that way..." he said and leaned in for another kiss...this was the moment they knew what their hearts wanted and neither needed to say a word to prove it or show it to the other...they knew they were in love...

They sat on the bench for an hour waiting for the next train, Lillian sitting close beside Seto with her head resting against his chest as she listened to his soft heartbeat. The sound of an oncoming train stirred the new couple, "Well this is it..." Lillian said as she stood up along with Seto, wrapping his arms around her. "I don't want you to leave just yet..." he mumbled as she returned the embrace, "I'm not going to be gone forever Seto...I'll be back...", "And I'll wait for you...I promise..." he said cupping her soft cheek, leaning down for a goodbye kiss as the train came to a stop. Unwillingly, the two parted, never breaking eye contact as she stepped onto the train..."I love you...", she called after him, "I love you too...my Blue-Eyes." he responded as the trains doors closed. Lillian walked to her seat by the window as the train departed, watching as the guy she loved slowly became smaller and smaller as the train left the station...Seto stood there waving until the train was no longer in sight. He turned and slowly began the walk home in the pouring rain...the clouds parted slightly revealing the light of the full moon, lighting his way home...


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are our truest selves in our dreams.

Months later...  
...Lillian was lying on a beach alone somewhere in the middle of who knows where...her eyes were shut listening to the sound of the ocean, half asleep. She had been spending the last few weeks searching for answers...searching for answers about who she was. And so far she was getting nowhere; the meanings of the dreams...what she was supposed to do with her life...absolutely nothing. But she couldn't give up. She couldn't for the sake of her sanity and for the sake of her little brother. There was still a bad feeling in the back of her mind that something bad was coming...  
She slowly fell into a deep sleep...dreaming...  
There was water all around her and it was slowly getting darker...she was alone, trying to swim to the surface, but she was going nowhere...

Her fingers were trembling, a breeze started blowing, waves gently crashing into the shore...in the distance clouds were slowly approaching...

She was swimming faster, her arms and legs starting to hurt from swimming...it was getting darker...and she seemed to be sinking deeper and deeper...

The breeze picked up, blowing harder and colder as Lillian started tossing and turning as the dream was becoming worse. The waves growing and becoming stronger, thunder can be heard coming from the distance clouds that were growing darker, blocking out the sun...

She couldn't go on anymore...she finally gave up trying to reach the surface and just continued to sink down...the tears running down her cheeks fades into the water...

Two streams of water slowly left the ocean, snaking its way to the sleeping girl, encircling her wrists and crawling its way up her arms, tattoo like marks forming on her arms as the water passes over her skin...

Her eyes slowly closed...she was alone. She was all alone...sinking deeper into the darkness...until she felt something covering her hand...her eyes opened. Before her was...a mermaid...her tail was sapphire blue with royal blue coloured fins. Her skin was a soft shade of sky blue, her eyes...dark blue...just like Lillian's eyes...her hair was long, flowing in different directions, it's colour was a beautiful white colour...but what shocked Lillian the most was the fact that the mermaid, looked just like Lillian...it was looking in a mirror...  
Lillian gasped waking up. The streams of water had retracted back into the ocean and the sky was once again clear and the wind had calmed down. She sat there panting, trying to catch her breath, sweat dripping down her face. The nightmare was different than before...this time she didn't hear the voices but instead that mermaid has appeared. And she looked just like her...what did this mean? This confused her even more...  
She looked down at her arms and her eyes widened...there were marks...symbols...images covering her arms from the tips of her fingers to the base of her neck. This made her even more scared and confused. Something was wrong...so very wrong...this wasn't...normal...

She got up quickly and grabbed her towel and back and headed back to the private beach house she was staying at to get dressed and get back to the main lands...she had already been here too long...


End file.
